A love that never was
by ass-sassin
Summary: 'And his heart was pure. His smile was golden. His demeanour was calming, soothing. He was the calm ocean and she was the epitome of the raging sea.' - A FREE! adaptation of the original 'The Little Mermaid' by Hans Christian Anderson in which the prince does NOT love the beautiful mermaid, and is already in love with another, slightly sharkier persona.


It was a love that was never supposed to be.

She fell for the way he swam, for his love of water. She only ever watched from afar, silent in the deep depths of the sea, red hair splayed about her as she observed the wondrous sight through wide, awe-stricken eyes.

His dark hair, his icy blue eyes…his kind face, his finely sculpted body – they became perfection.

She loved him with all her being.

They weren't meant to be – he was human, and she was not.

Perhaps he'd love her, she thought, despite knowing it was a delusion – perhaps he'd love her because she was truly part of the sea – at one with the ocean that he so relished in.

Her delusions drove her to the sea witch.

'_I can perform the spell,' the witch hissed, pale eyes gleaming, 'but… the human prince must fall in love with you – elsewise you must return to the sea.' _

And so she stumbled ashore, naked and cold and completely at a loss. Her long red tresses stuck to her frame, shielding her from his blue gaze.

He spoke to her in words she didn't understand. Despite her nakedness, despite her fragility and vulnerability – he was kind. He dressed her in his large shirt and went without, ignoring the cool chill of the sea breeze.

And his heart was pure. His smile was golden. His demeanour was calming, soothing. He was the calm ocean and she was the epitome of the raging sea.

She wanted him. She wanted his smile, his warm arms around her. She wanted his love.

But he couldn't give her that.

His kindness was just that – kindness. He took her in and housed her. He fed her and kept her safe, but he didn't love her.

_Tomorrow_, she would tell herself every night, _tomorrow he'll love me_.

But the tomorrow where his heart was promised to her never came… it was already promised to someone else.

A man with hair as red as hers, and teeth as sharp as a shark's.

And although she wanted the prince – wanted him more than anything in the world… she let go. Realising the hopelessness of her situation, the mermaid decided it was time to return to the sea.

'_Ah, that's not part of the deal,' the witch cackled, her voice hissing from the lips of her eels, 'kill the prince and you may return to the sea.' _

The beached girl wailed to herself then – how could she kill the prince? He was so kind, so gentle hearted – she didn't have the malice in her.

But on land she understood nothing. Strange contraptions worked about the grand stone of the castle, people attained roles she couldn't comprehend. World up on land didn't make sense.

And so she walked to the prince's room, knife in hand.

O-O-O

The dainty redhead padded lightly through the marble hallways, edging closer and closer towards the sealed doors. She pushed silently in to the room, and stopped short upon the sight that greeted her.

The prince was strewn about the bed, arm thrown lazily around the man with burgundy hair so alike her own.

"_Rin_," she heard her prince sigh.

Rin. Oh, how she wanted to hate him.

But she couldn't hate the man who brought her prince such joy.

Her fingers shook around the cold hilt of the blade in her hand, and she cursed her idiocy. She should have stayed in the depths of the oceans, away from the sea witch and all her folly.

She edged closer and closer to the bed until she stood on the prince's side, hand raised. She raised her arm, ready to plunge the blade into his chest – and then his eyes shot open.

"What's your name?" his voice was smooth, soft. She didn't understand his words, but she knew what he was asking.

"Gou."

Her arms were shaking.

And as she stared down at him, she knew no fate could be worse than murdering her prince, content as he was.

"I am Haru."

She couldn't do it.

With a choked sob, she fled from the room, blade still clutched tightly in her hand. Down the stairs she ran, down, down, down – until she escaped the walls of stone.

Her harsh breaths finally calmed in her chest as the soft sand sprung beneath her feet.

"_Haru…_" she murmured to herself, shivering in the cool morning breeze.

The horizon was tinged pink, but the sun had not yet peeked over the watery horizon.

Dropping the knife in to the sand the mermaid walked steadily to the shoreline, burgundy hair billowing out behind her.

"_Haru…_" she whispered to herself, taking her first few steps into the salty sea foam.

And she walked, and walked until she was drifting, just beyond the shoreline. She could feel the first rays of the sun on her closed lids as the first tendrils of water enveloped her pale limbs.

"_Haru…_" she could feel herself coming undone as the water unravelled her, as her body became less and less until she was nothing more than foam of the sea her prince so cherished.

The last sigh from her parted lips was his name.

O-O-O

Haru had always loved the sea – but there was something different.

The water – it wasn't just that the ocean had a mere acceptance of him, and he of it.

The water lapped at his limbs softly, gently – as though caressing him. Tendrils of a dream – of a girl and a knife and burgundy hair, just like Rin's, flitted through his consciousness like light reflected off choppy waters. He could float and feel lighter than air. He could see underwater further and deeper. He could hold his breath longer.

And most of all… he felt an indescribable gratitude towards the ocean. He didn't know why, but the water seemed to know him – seemed to love him.

It was strange, to say the least, and he never said anything to Rin, knowing his lover would only scoff… but in his mind, for the first time in his life, the ocean he so loved had a name.

She was Gou.


End file.
